Console Wars (2015)
PART THREE
THE NEXT LEVEL
39.
AND AWAY WE GO!
On November 19, 1992, Tom Kalinske addressed Sega of America’s nearly three hundred employees from the loading dock of the company’s distribution warehouse in Hayward, California. There, with an unquenchable grin on his face, Kalinske delivered a passionate speech that Ellen Beth Van Buskirk had prepared for this momentous occasion.
TOM KALINSKE
Today we celebrate a tremendous Sega effort!
The applause cut off Kalinske right away; there was just no way to repress it any longer. Plus, it looked good for the cameras. Although this event had been designed as a thank-you to Sega’s employees, it also cleverly doubled as a PR opportunity to officially kick Sonic 2sday into motion. It was the videogame world’s equivalent of Santa loading his sleigh.
TOM KALINSKE
After fourteen months of development, marketing, and operational achievement, we are here to commemorate the first shipment of Sonic The Hedgehog 2.
This wasn’t just fourteen months of work, but years of effort from hundreds of employees. Some were right here in the crowd, some were across the ocean, and others had planted the seeds once upon a time but were long gone by now. It was the ultimate team effort, and that’s why everyone in attendance was wearing the same thing: a hooded sweatshirt with the words “We did it!” scrolling up the sleeve.
TOM KALINSKE
We have all grown to love this feisty little hedgehog . . .
At the heart of everything was Sonic The Hedgehog, Sega’s little engine that could, did, and was ready to do again. According to a recent national survey, Sonic was now a more recognizable American icon than Mario, MC Hammer, and even Mickey Mouse.
TOM KALINSKE
And with this sequel, we can be proud of the team accomplishment, which has produced the very best videogame of all time.
For months, Sega of America had been guarding this new game as if it were enriched uranium, which in terms of the war with Nintendo was exactly what it was. Development was kept strictly under wraps, minus the four screenshots each month that Nilsen would select to share with the public.
TOM KALINSKE
Let me share with you what the national news media are saying about our blue spiked friend.
But that Hollywood-esque supersecret teaser mentality changed on October 8, with the beginning of Sega’s Sonic 2 Store Tour. Since then, 345 retail locations (and three air force bases) in sixteen markets gave customers an exclusive opportunity to play the game.
TOM KALINSKE
“To watch Sonic kick into overdrive, or be hurled through a pneumatic tube at what seems like the speed of sound, is really amazing.” —Associated Press
“What’s faster than a speeding bullet, stronger than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings with a single bound? Well, him too, but we’re talking about Sonic The Hedgehog.” —GamePro
“Not enough adjectives describe this game. . . . Faster, bigger, wilder and even more fun. Welcome back Sonic! Missed ya!” —Richmond Times-Dispatch
“Sonic 2 is, without a doubt, going to be one of the greatest action carts for Genesis.” —Electronic Gaming Monthly
During the Sonic 2 Store Tour, 27,386 people played the game, 54 percent of them kids, 36 percent teens, and 8 percent adults. An additional 24,027 people stopped by to ask questions and watch others play. At the stores, three of the most frequent comments were “The new game is awesome,” “I want this for Christmas,” and “Sega is better than Nintendo.”
TOM KALINSKE
Sonic has captured the hearts and minds of gamers and fans everywhere. I thank all of you for believing in Sonic and giving him better than the best you had to offer!
Once again, Kalinske was happy to be cut off by an explosion of applause. Normally, when giving speeches, it was his job to inspire the crowd, but today that dynamic felt reversed. And the best part was Sega’s success, and that which would follow, was about more than just Sonic. As Peter Main had pointed out years earlier, the name of the game was the game, and Sega was not only making great ones, but games that other companies wouldn’t have dared to make—and they were becoming bestsellers. There was no better example than Ecco the Dolphin, which had been greenlit at an Italian restaurant years earlier and now was roping in a female audience of gamers.
TOM KALINSKE
Each of you are responsible for making Sonic 2 the biggest selling videogame cartridge of all time. We are going to sell 2 million games here in the U.S. and another 2.5 million worldwide. In fact, we have already presold 20 percent of that volume—a phenomenon never seen before in the industry.
This second sentence was staggering, but it was the first that truly told the story. Without every single one of Sega’s employees acting in exactly the way that they had, Sega’s grand experiment would not be where it was today. Every little action mattered; every big idea had to be made real by the entire team.
TOM KALINSKE
What makes this cart even more special is that Sonic 2 sales will contribute more than $500,000 toward the Sega Charitable Youth Education and Health Foundation. I’m real proud of that achievement too.
And somewhere out there so was Anique, whose unique smile was no doubt lighting up the heavens.
TOM KALINSKE
I now want to recognize a few of the key people who went to the proverbial Mobius and back to create Sonic 2. Please raise your hands as I call out your name.
Sega’s success was such an A-to-Z team effort that it felt almost cruel to single out only a handful of individuals, but it would have been crueler not to shine a momentary spotlight on those whose every action personified the Next Level.
TOM KALINSKE
Shinobu Toyoda.
To the man with legs long enough to straddle Japan and the United States.
TOM KALINSKE
Yuji Naka
Masaharu Yoshii
Yasushi Yamaguchi
Yutaka Sugano
All the STI artists and programmers
To those who dared to dream up this game.
TOM KALINSKE
Al Nilsen
Bob Harris
France Tantiado
Ellen Beth Van Buskirk
To those who made this more than just a game.
TOM KALINSKE
Richard Burns
Len Ciciretto and the sales group
To those who went door-to-door, selling Sega’s revolution.
TOM KALINSKE
Glen Weisman
Laila Atassi
Joe Walkington
Roger Rambeau
Sandy Tallerico and the warehouse bunch
To those who turned operations into an art form.
TOM KALINSKE
Steve Apour, Ben Szymkowiak, and our valiant testers
To those producers, developers, and testers who could see the world in pixels.
TOM KALINSKE
Thank you again for your vision and hard work!
Amongst the raucous applause and the humble bows, there was one name notably missing from the list: Madeline Schroeder. In July, the mother of Sonic had left Sega, along with Jude Lange, to start their own software developer, Crystal Dynamics. This unexpected move signified an irreversible maturation for Sega, which had now earned enough clout to be viewed as a launching pad for bold career moves. This changing of the guard signaled that the company would likely experience an exit of many of those who had made Sega special, and an influx of new employees hoping to make a dent.
TOM KALINSKE
Speaking of hard work, we have a little more left to do before Sonic makes his way to the thirteen thousand retailer doors nationwide.
It had been two years since Kalinske took over, and in that time so much had changed. The Genesis was now in over thirteen thousand stores (up from four thousand), the Sega of America team now had nearly three hundred employees (up from fifty), and in 1992 the company’s sales quadrupled to over $500 million.
TOM KALINSKE
We now need to ship all this great product. And we need to ship it to arrive all on November 24, Sonic 2sday, to each and every retailer.
There were two major events scheduled for Sonic 2sday. One would be held at Toys “R” Us in New York City’s Herald Square, and the other would be at the store’s location in Burbank, California. Teen celebrities had been confirmed for both events.
TOM KALINSKE
We’re calling it the “Great Sonic Airlift,” and we’ve enlisted the support of Emery worldwide to undertake this epic task. Now, I’d like to ask Mr. James Schutzenhoffer, the vice president of Emery’s West Coast operations, and Mr. Al Nilsen, Sega’s group marketing director, the man who created and directed the awesome marketing campaign behind Sonic 2’s launch, to join me up here to get out the first shipment of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 cartridges.
Schutzenhoffer, blushing from the attention, stumbled over to Kalinske, follow by Nilsen, who needed a second to accept that this surreal-feeling moment was actually very real.
TOM KALINSKE
Yes, Sonic . . . you and Tails can join too.
As Sonic and Tails danced up to the loading dock, Kalinske held up a sealed copy of Sonic The Hedgehog 2. It was amazing, he thought, that Sonic had been around for less than two years but already felt as real as Mickey Mouse. Tails, of course, wasn’t at that level yet, but he was on his way. And so would the next character, and the character after that, as long as Sega kept their eyes on the prize. It was even more amazing that his son, Brandon, would grow up in a world where Sonic would be as timeless as any other two-dimensional character. Even after Kalinske one day left this world, Sonic would be there, in some strange way, to watch over his children. No matter what else he did in life, there would always be Barbie and Sonic. But since Tom had no further influence over Barbie, it was all up to Sonic now.
TOM KALINSKE
This box commemorates the beginning of the Great Sonic Airlift. Congratulations, Sonic, and congratulations, Sega!
Photographs were taken, T-shirts were given out, and congratulatory hugs took place left and right. It was a wonderful occasion that would be remembered as even more golden when, just one week later, the American home console market would be split evenly between Sega and Nintendo